Study of Eosinophil Count by Indirect Method in Medical Students of a Medical College in North-East India

Abstract

Background: Eosinophils are granulocytes with normal count in between 200-500 per cubic millimeter. Exceeding this range is referred to as eosinophilia. Eosinophilia may be an incidental finding but mostly it is due to parasitic infestation, allergy disorder etc. This study was therefore done to determine the incidence of eosinophilia among the student volunteers and to find out the difference in eosinophil count between normal and eosinophilia cases.

Material and Methods: This study was done in Dept. of Physiology, Jorhat Medical College. Eighty newly admitted student volunteers of age 17-25 years were taken for the study. 3 ml of blood was collected from each subject. Total and Differential Leucocyte count (DLC) were measured. Thereafter using these two, the Eosinophil Count was measured by Indirect Method. Descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation were calculated using MS Excel. Student’s Unpaired t- test was used to compare data and P value <0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: Distribution on the basis of eosinophil count showed that 76 students (95%) had normal count while 4 students (5%) had mild eosinophilia. There was significant difference in eosinophil count between the two groups (p value <0.0001).

Conclusion: Eosinophilia may be associated with parasitic infections, skin diseases and allergic disorders. Thus, necessary investigations and proper history count should be carried out to evaluate any cases of eosinophilia.